NWFP Finance Minister Mohammad Hamayun Khan has said that the province will get first instalment of the outstanding Rs 110 billion in head of hydel net-profit (HNP) till December, and the remaining would be given in three instalments. Talking to different delegations, which called on him in his office here on Saturday, he expressed the hope that the decision would make the people stand on their own feet.
He expressed gratitude to the Federal government and the other three provincial governments for extending full co-ordination and support in connection with meeting the long-standing demand of the people of NWFP regarding payment of net hydel profit. He said that with the payment of net hydel profit dues, majority of the problems of the province would be solved.
The Minister said at the moment, the NWFP needed bulk of financial packages for carrying out the rehabilitation of the IDPs, construction of their houses, restoration of basic facilities in the war-torn areas and above all to ensuring law and order situation in future as well.
He said the NWFP also needed emergency funds for equipping its law-enforcement agencies (LEA) with sophisticated arsenals in a bid to crush the terrorists. He said the damaged infrastructure needed to be backed on emergency basis, otherwise it would increase manifold.
Humayun Khan thanked Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, other Federal high-ups and the political leaders on whose support, the HNP issue was included in the agenda of the National Finance Commission award and special meetings were convened to discuss the issue.
The Finance Minister said in NWFP, everybody had been affected and even traders, shopkeepers, street vendors and common men were suffered and were deprived of their livelihood and were now living on the mercy of the Almighty Allah. He said it was the time that the Federal government and other donor agencies could announce special financial packages for the people of NWFP, enabling them to face the challenges.
The minister also thanked his NFC team members, including Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel, Khalid Aziz, Abdul Samad Khan, Ziaur Rahman and others who spent days and nights in working out the papers for the NFC and HNP meetings in Islamabad, and stated that due to their constructive approach, he was able to present the NWFP's case in a befitting manner.